Fractures in the Framework
by FishE1
Summary: Possibly the hardest job for a leader is keeping their team working together. But what happens to the ninja team when Cole is no longer able to accomplish that task?
1. Chapter 1

**Yay! My very first Ninjago fanfic. It sure took me long enough...**

**I really want to thank TLFScarheart12 for encouraging me to write this despite my worries, and for giving me advice on how to make it work. This probably wouldn't have been written without your support. Thank you sooooo much! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own Ninjago...**

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Kai squinted against the bright sunlight, trying to get a glimpse of the enemy. Jay crouched beside him, looking tense.

"Any sign of them?" he whispered.

"Nothing," Kai replied. "Let's get moving." The two ninjas darted out of the cover of the trees, and made their way toward a pile of boulders at the curve of a sparkling, crystal stream. They were almost there, when suddenly…

"GOTCHA!"

Two large blurs, one black, the other white, shot out of nowhere, knocking Kai and Jay off their feet. The ninjas quickly recovered, however, jumping to their feet and facing their attackers.

"Ha! You thought you could just sneak over here and take our flag without running into us, did you?" Cole said, his eyes behind his black ninja mask glowing with triumph.

"Uh, yeah, actually we did," Kai replied. "Last time I checked, you have to obtain the other team's flag in order to win. We assumed you guys would be trying to get ours."

"But, that makes no sense," Zane said. "If you thought we would be trying to obtain your flag, why wouldn't you stay behind to guard it?"

"Because we thought that you thought it would be easier to sneak up on us in the forest, so you would think that you could get to our flag faster than we could get to your flag, leaving your flag unguarded, so that we could run in here faster than the wind, and grab your flag…" Jay started to ramble, but then stopped. The ninjas looked at each other, then burst into laughter. Even Zane gave one of his rare chuckles.

"L-listen to us!" Cole exclaimed between fits of laughter. "We're acting like a bunch of children! This was supposed to be a training exercise!"

"Well, it's not really helping us at all!" Kai replied, nearly doubled over from laughing so hard.

"That's for sure!" A voice behind them called out.

The ninjas whipped around to see Nya standing beside Sensei Wu, grinning from ear to ear. Each of them was holding a flag. "Looks like we won, huh Sensei?" Nya asked.

"Wh-what?" Jay spluttered, looking from Nya to Sensei Wu and back again. "We didn't even know you were participating!"

"You weren't meant to know. Surprise is one of a ninja's greatest weapons," Sensei Wu replied with a smile. "It seems you have a lot more work to do."

The four young ninjas sighed. "Of course, Sensei. We will continue to train and sharpen our skills, both mental and physical," Zane said respectfully.

"I know you will. But first, how about another game? Just for fun," Sensei suggested. The ninjas readily agreed, and dispersed to rehide their flags.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh! How about we hide it here?" Jay called from a cluster of bushes.

"No, that's too easy. We need somewhere that's harder to get to," Kai replied.

"Okay then… How about here?" Jay stood at the base of a tall tree, pointing up into its highest branches.

"No, that's no good either…"

"Here?" Jay had crawled into a small cave, and his voice echoed from inside.

"No! Just be quiet and leave me alone!" Kai snapped. "I think I'm on to something." He knew the perfect spot for the flag, if he could only find it…

Suddenly, he heard a clattering of stones. He turned his head to see that Jay had climbed on top of a wobbly pile of boulders and was swaying precariously at the top.

"What about-"

"NO!" Kai shouted angrily, causing Jay to lose his footing and tumble off the stack of boulders. He landed on the ground with a thump. Kai rolled his eyes and turned away, still searching for the ideal hiding spot.

Jay rubbed the back of his head as he sat up, glaring at Kai. He opened his mouth to snap back, but then thought better of it. There was no use in getting Kai even more irritated.

_Where is it?_ Kai wondered to himself. _I was here just a few days ago. _"Aha!" he cried with satisfaction as he spotted the thin trails of steam rising from several mounds with holes in them. "Found it!"

"Found what?" Jay asked, catching up.

"It's a ring of cone geysers," Kai explained. "I was flying my dragon the other day and we almost got hit by a blast of hot water. I decided to take a look around, and found that there was more than one. They go off at regular intervals of five minutes. I figured this would be a great place to hide the flag -there's even a small cleft in the middle of the ring that would prevent it from getting wet, and hide it from view."

"Awesome! Let's go!" Jay started toward the geysers.

"Wait, Jay!" Kai rushed forward and grabbed his friend's arm, pulling him back. "We don't know if they're…" Without warning, water erupted out of the geysers, up into the air, and splattered down right where the two ninjas had been standing. A few red hot drops splashed onto them, making them jump back even farther.

"…about to go off," Kai finished with a grimace. Jay gulped and stared as the spouts of water dwindled until they were only small bubbling pools around the geysers. He couldn't help but think of what might have happened if Kai hadn't warned him and pulled him back. Kai nudged Jay with his elbow.

"Did that scare you?" he teased.

Jay pushed Kai away. "No! It just startled me," he insisted. "Thanks by the way."

"Don't mention it. Now, why don't we-?"

"Guys!" Kai and Jay turned their heads as Nya ran up to them, looking panicked. "You have to come quick!"

"Sis!" Kai exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

Nya stopped to catch her breath, obviously worn out from the run. "Something's happened! Sensei has called the game off."

"Well, what is it?" Jay asked worriedly.

"It's Zane. We found him lying motionless on the ground, and we can't find Cole. Sensei Wu told me to come get you. We have to go now!"

Kai and Jay glanced at each other, and then quickly followed Nya as she led the way back to their friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow! Eight reviews already? You guys are awesome!**

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They found Sensei Wu and Zane in a small clearing close to where their game had begun. Zane was sitting against a tree, looking groggy and slightly confused.

"What happened, Sensei?" Kai asked as they ran up.

"Zane was knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of his head," Sensei Wu replied, looking worried. "I suspect Garmadon's skeletons may have been involved. I'm surprised they managed to succeed in surprising Cole and Zane, and why they would leave Zane lying here once they defeated him is beyond me. Furthermore, I am not entirely sure why they would attack directly like this, in broad daylight, especially when there were two of you here."

"I think I can answer some of that, Sensei," Zane said, struggling to his feet. Kai didn't need Zane's sixth sense to tell him that Zane was even more worried than the rest of them. "The skeletons were saying something about what would happen if we didn't have a leader to keep us working together. I believe they may have taken Cole, or at least trapped him somewhere."

"Do you think he's all right?" Jay asked Zane.

Zane sighed. "He isn't dead, I know that much. However, I can't seem to sense whether he's injured or not, let alone where he is. It's frustrating."

Kai put a hand on Zane's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We'll find him somehow, and if he's injured, we'll get him back safely so Sensei Wu can treat him."

Zane was about to reply when Jay interrupted him. "That sounds like a great plan, except for one teeny-tiny little problem. HOW DO WE KNOW WHERE TO LOOK?"

"Well, if you're done talking about it, you could try looking for clues around here," Nya spoke up. "I saw some marks in the mud by the river that could pass for footprints- maybe you could start there."

"That sounds like an excellent idea to me," Sensei Wu declared. "Come, Nya. We shall return to the dojo and fly over Ninjago on one of the dragons, and see if we can spot anything from the air. You three- if you find anything, don't wait for us to get back. I trust you enough to allow you to chase after the skeletons on your own."

Sensei Wu and Nya left for the dojo, and Kai, Jay, and Zane took the short walk to the river. The marks were indeed skeleton footprints, but upon closer examination, they were too jumbled to make out any sort of direction. The three ninjas tried to follow them, but it seemed impossible, and Kai's patience and temper were running short. It wasn't long before he became frustrated.

"We're wasting our time!" he snapped at Jay, all traces of his earlier sense of companionship with his fellow ninja gone as he vented his aggravation. "There's no way we're going to find Cole at this rate!"

"Do you have a better idea?" Jay asked, just as irritated. Kai simply glowered, unable to answer. "That's what I thought. Now why don't you help us?"

"I have been helping! There isn't anything to find!" Kai shouted, suddenly furious. "And stop acting like you're in charge!" The two ninjas proceeded into a heated argument, that could have ended in blows had they not been interrupted.

"Jay! Kai! Come over here!" Zane called from further downriver, at a point where the river narrowed to a width of about twelve feet. Kai threw Jay another angry glare before jogging down to meet Zane. Jay folded his arms crossly and followed.

"Well, what is it?" Kai asked, his lingering irritation at Jay creeping into his voice. Zane looked at their irate expressions, and sighed.

_This is not good,_ he thought to himself. _Cole hasn't even been gone that long, and we're already starting to fall apart._

"Look," Zane replied, pointing to the other side of the river. "It appears that the footprints enter the river and then emerge over there. They seem to be heading in one general direction on the other side. We should cross over and take a look."

The ninjas entered the water, which was deep enough to reach their waists. They made it across safely, and wrung out their soaked garments on the other side. Zane crouched down to examine the prints. There were footprints all over the place on this side too, but this time they were all heading in the same direction. Zane also noticed two parallel lines in the mud that indicated that someone, most likely Cole, had been dragged along by the skeletons. Zane guessed that he had to be unconscious, or at least tied up, because Cole wasn't one to just give up when he had a chance of escape. The prints led east, in the direction of a mountain range.

Zane stood and looked over at Kai and Jay. His two friends were standing apart, refusing to look at each other. Zane sensed that they were still fuming from their argument earlier. However, it wasn't anger at each other that had caused them to bicker; it was worry for Cole, and the lack of a leader made them feel uncertain. They also felt the desire to fill in as leader, however, they knew that Cole was the best leader out of all of them, and they weren't confident that they would be good enough to take his place. So, they did nothing, and their pent up frustration caused quarrels that damaged the unity of the team. Zane knew he wasn't the one to fill Cole's position, but he would have to try if they had any hope of finding the skeletons and getting Cole back.

"The footprints lead in that direction," Zane said, pointing toward the towering mountains. "If we go after them now we may be able to catch up."

Zane set off with Kai and Jay following him, both unusually quiet. He sensed that their anger had dwindled for now, but still Zane feared that their team would shatter if they didn't rescue Cole fast.

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**Just a quick note: I am aware that on the show Zane seems to be mostly robot, but I still support the theory that he's a cyborg. Therefore, getting knocked out is perfectly plausible for him.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure this is the way they went?" Jay asked for the fifth time. Zane sighed in exasperation. The muddy footprints had long since disappeared, and now the other two seemed keen on questioning his sense of direction.

"Trust me. I know this is the direction they were headed. If you took the time to look closer, you could see that the grass is slightly flatter here- a result of being crushed by a large group of skeletons," Zane replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. _But of course you wouldn't take the time to notice that, _he thought to himself, glaring at Jay out of the corner of his eye. At once Zane mentally scolded himself- he couldn't start thinking like that. If he did, it was only a matter of time before he started to lose his temper with the others, and then all would be lost.

"Right, okay. So we're supposed to believe that just because the grass is a little flatter here, it means that the skeletons went this way," Kai said sarcastically.

"Yes. Even if this isn't the exact route, I can sense that they were heading toward the mountains," Zane replied, struggling against the urge to snap at Kai.

"How do we know you aren't just saying that to justify your decision to go this way?" Jay asked suspiciously.

Zane whirled around to face them. "Why must you question everything I say?" he demanded, fed up. "It's not easy trying to lead in the first place, and you aren't helping matters at all! I'm starting to think that you don't even want to rescue Cole!"

Jay and Kai were taken aback by Zane's outburst. "What are you talking about? Of course we want to save Cole!" Jay exclaimed.

"Then prove it!" Zane challenged, his eyes blazing with a ferocity Jay and Kai had never seen in him before. Suddenly, Zane seemed to realize what he was doing, and the look faded; it was replaced with dismay as he realized that he had just done exactly what he had resolved not to do- lose his temper.

The other two ninjas stared with wide eyes as Zane took a breath to calm himself, and turned around to continue following the faint path the skeletons had left. Kai and Jay stayed where they were, rooted to the spot. Despite everything, they began to feel guilty. It wasn't Zane's fault that Cole was taken- he had been knocked out. They knew that Zane was doing everything in his power to find Cole, and they were just making it more complicated than it already was. Jay shot Kai an anxious glance before taking off after Zane.

Zane had stopped in the shadow of the mountains; his eyes squeezed shut, furious at himself. He never got angry this easily. What was happening to them? He opened his eyes when he heard footsteps behind him, but didn't turn around.

"Zane?" Jay asked tentatively. Zane remained silent, waiting to hear what the other had to say. "Look. We're really sorry. For everything. We're being too hard on you, and it's not fair. I know you're trying your best to rescue Cole, and we just keep getting in your way. Could you please forgive us?"

Zane turned around. Jay looked ashamed and genuinely sorry, and as Kai walked up behind him, Zane could see that he looked remorseful as well. Zane knew that no amount of apologizing was going to get them to work together perfectly, especially while Cole was still missing; however, he couldn't refuse a sincere apology, especially if it meant they would stop arguing with him, at least temporarily.

"Of course I forgive you, and I'm sorry too," Zane answered. "It's just so difficult feeling like you're the one that has to do everything. I can't imagine how much stress Cole must feel all of the time. It just makes me even more determined to find him."

"Yeah. And we'll try to be more of a help than a hindrance," Kai added. Zane smiled and was about to thank them, when he suddenly felt a strong sense of danger. He snapped to attention, his entire body tense as he looked around to see what had triggered his sixth sense. He spotted movement among some large rocks several yards away from their group, and his eyes widened in alarm as he saw the sharp point of an arrow aimed straight at them.

"Look out!" Zane cried, rushing forward in an attempt to push Jay and Kai out of the way in time. He wasn't fast enough. There was the snap of a bow string being released and the soft _thunk_ of the arrow finding a home... embedding itself in the earth between Kai's feet. Zane breathed a sigh of relief, stopping in his tracks. Apparently whoever had shot the arrow didn't have very good aim.

This obviously didn't sit well with their attackers. There was the sound of a short argument, then the ninjas glimpsed two skeletons running away toward a gap in the mountainside.

"After them!" Kai yelled, leading the charge after the skeletons, which by now had vanished into the dark recesses of the cave. Jay and Zane groaned in unison as their friend took off without thinking as always. But there wasn't anything they could do except follow, and hope they weren't walking right into a trap.


	5. Chapter 5

The ninjas slowed to a walk as they entered the cave. It was far too dark to see anything except vague shadows, so progress was slow. They felt along the walls and steadily worked their way through the dark cavern. All of a sudden Jay, who had gone a little way ahead, stopped, and Kai nearly stumbled over him in the dark. Kai was about to snap at Jay and ask what he thought he was doing when he noticed what had caused Jay to come to a halt. Zane had sensed their hesitation, and walked up to stand beside them, taking in the situation as best as he could in the darkness.

"Okay, now what do we do?" Jay asked in bewilderment. In the gloom, they could just barely make out the gaping mouths of three separate passageways. There were no obvious clues as to which way the skeletons went.

"Zane? Do you think that you could try to sense which way they went?" Kai asked hopefully. Zane was already attempting to pick up any miniscule hint that would give them a direction, and fortunately he had found one.

"I believe that the skeletons went down the far left passage," he said. "I can sense that heat has touched the walls of the passage recently, undoubtedly from torches the skeletons must have used. Even so, it's not much to go on."

"Well, it's the best we have. Let's go!" Jay exclaimed. The three ninjas dashed down the left passageway, going as fast as they dared in the dimness of the cave.

As they pressed onward, they began to notice light creeping into the passage, making it easier to see where they were going. It wasn't long before they stepped out of the passage into the glaring sunlight. The brightness was such a change from the dark cave that they had to squint and blink for a while before everything came into focus. When it did, they gasped.

They were on a ledge about halfway up the mountain. The mountain in turn was part of a large mountain range that looped around a wide, barren valley. As far as the ninjas could see, there was nothing but rocks and dirt with the occasional patch of grass or scraggly tree. And skeletons. Lots of skeletons. At least fifty of them. All marching down the valley. And there, in the center of the group, being dragged along by two of the larger skeletons, was Cole. Even from their vantage point, it was obvious that Cole wasn't fighting back. His head hung limply and every few steps the skeletons would pause to lift him up higher as his dragging feet caused him to sink toward the ground.

"Oh no…" Zane murmured. Things just kept getting worse. They had to get Cole out of there. But how?

"Anyone got any bright ideas?" Kai asked.

"Nope," Jay replied, shaking his head dejectedly.

"It would seem that our only option is to attack," Zane observed. "There's no way that we could possibly sneak up on them and we don't have time to come up with an elaborate plan. We'll just have to be fast and try to get the advantage."

"Yeah. 'Cause, it's not like the fact that we're outnumbered matters or anything," Kai muttered, just loud enough for the others to hear.

"Kai, we don't have time for this," Jay responded, glaring at him. "The longer we stand here arguing, the farther away the skeletons get, and the less of a chance we have of rescuing Cole. Let's just go."

"Jay's right. Come on," Zane said, sliding carefully down the rocky side of the mountain, sending showers of pebbles down in front of him. Kai and Jay followed cautiously. As soon as they reached the bottom, they charged toward the mob of skeletons, realizing that their decision to leave their weapons at the dojo this morning probably wasn't the smartest they had ever made.

The first skeletons they attacked weren't prepared, and were easily overcome. However, whenever they defeated one, it seemed that three more were there to take its place. The ninjas alternated between Spinjitzu and normal hand-to-hand combat, but soon realized that their Spinjitzu drained their energy far too rapidly for them to use to any advantage. It would exhaust them before they even got close to Cole. So, they resorted to using only their combat skills. In spite of their abilities, however, it wasn't long before the ninjas started to become overwhelmed.

"Keep fighting! It's the only way we'll have a chance!" Zane called, striking out at skeletons as he ducked and dodged to avoid their attacks.

"There are too many of them!" Kai shouted back as he sent one skeleton careening into five others, knocking them off their feet. Almost immediately more skeletons closed in, and he lashed out at them angrily.

"No kidding!" Jay responded from several feet away. As he thrust his fist out to punch, a skeleton grabbed his wrist and twisted it, causing Jay to cry out in pain. Kai and Zane snapped their heads in his direction, instinctively looking for a way to help.

The distraction was all the other skeletons needed. They surged forward as the skeleton that had attacked Jay threw him to the ground at the other ninjas' feet. Zane promptly helped him up as Jay massaged his sore arm. Together with Kai they turned to face the skeletons. However, with sinking hearts, they realized that they were surrounded.

The three ninjas stood with their backs together, in a defensive formation, breathing heavily. They could see no possible means of escape. Nevertheless, they were determined that if they were to lose, they would go down fighting to save Cole. It was their duty to him as a team, and they were going to justify that responsibility, no matter what the outcome. The skeletons stepped forward, ready to attack…


	6. Chapter 6

**Last chapter. Many thanks to those of you who read, reviewed and/or favorited this story. You help keep my self-esteem up.**

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The first wave of skeletons began to advance toward the cornered ninjas. Suddenly, there came a deafening roar from above. Both the ninjas and the skeletons looked up in alarm as a bright red dragon came into view, soaring over the mountains with angry crimson flames shooting from its mouth.

"That's gotta be Sensei Wu and Nya!" Jay exclaimed, recognizing the fire dragon that belonged to Kai. The skeletons were already dashing away from them, tripping over each other in their panic.

"Quick! Let's find Cole!" Kai shouted over the noise. The ninjas took off, fighting their way through the mass of skeletons as Kai's dragon landed in the middle, crushing many of them and scorching others. Nya and Sensei Wu hopped off the dragon, and immediately started working together to drive the skeletons away.

The ninjas helped where they could, but at the moment they were more concerned for Cole. They made it to where they had last seen Cole before the battle, and found him collapsed on the ground several feet away.

"The skeletons must have abandoned him when we attacked," Zane said, gently turning Cole over so he was lying on his back. Cole didn't stir, which troubled Zane. He must have been out for a while, so he should be waking up about now.

The sound of the battle nearby faded as the skeletons fled to the underworld, and Sensei Wu and Nya soon joined the ninjas. Zane stepped back as Sensei Wu crouched beside Cole; checking his pulse and breathing while the others looked on worriedly.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sensei Wu stood up, and motioned for them to come over. Kai, Jay, and Zane kneeled down beside Cole, while Nya remained standing with Sensei Wu.

"Cole is going to be alright," Sensei Wu informed them. "But we must wait until he wakes up before we go back to the dojo."

No sooner had he finished speaking, than Cole groaned and opened his eyes.

"Cole! You're okay!" Jay cried, voicing everyone's relief. Cole grimaced as he sat up, holding a hand to his head.

"Easy, Jay. I have a pretty bad headache," Cole said, wincing again. "What happened?"

"What happened? You and Zane were attacked by skeletons, that's what happened!" Kai exclaimed, causing Cole to flinch in pain again. He quickly stopped talking, glancing at Cole apologetically.

"What Kai is trying to say, Cole," Zane said gently, "is that the skeletons knocked us both out and took you. I think they were hoping to cause the collapse of our team."

Cole smiled a little. "Well, I can see that didn't happen," he replied.

"That's true, but we came pretty close," Jay said, shooting Kai a sideways glance.

"Yeah. And it was pretty much our fault," Kai answered, returning the look. He turned back to Cole. "Don't ever get kidnapped again, please," he begged. "We need you!"

Cole chuckled, his headache already beginning to fade. "I'll do my best, but I don't think I can make any promises."

"Well, as long as you try," Zane said. "I don't know if I can handle being in charge again."

"Hey, who ever put you in charge anyway?" Jay asked.

"That's right. I would have made a good leader too," Kai added.

"_You_ would? No, I think I would have done better."

Kai snorted. "Yeah, right. If you ask me…"

"Kai, Jay- do not get started," Cole spoke up, silencing both with a glare. The others laughed. Even now, after being attacked and kidnapped by skeletons, it was still clear that Cole was the one in charge.

"Come on guys, that's enough," Nya said. "We should get Cole back to the dojo so he can rest."

Sensei Wu chuckled once more. "I'm sure we could all use some rest after today. Jay and Zane, you two can help Cole. Kai, I think your dragon wants to make sure you're okay. Why don't you direct him back to the dojo when we're all ready?"

"Okay, Sensei," Kai replied. He dashed over to his dragon while the others followed more slowly; glad to have Cole back, safe and sound. There was no doubt that he was the best leader for their team, and they hoped they would never come this close to losing him again.

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**That's it! Thanks again! :)**


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